City Lights
by ShadowYazoo
Summary: Story of Zack and Cloud living in their apartment in Midgar.
1. City Lights

The clock ticked steadily, counting down time until Cloud got back home. They picked that clock out together – it had Vs and Is for numbers from one to seven, and the rest of the hours were represented by a sun, a cloud, X and XI were numbers again, and midnight was a moon. Cloud said that was the first clock he saw that featured both their nicknames. Zack Fair is the always sunny kind of guy, while Cloud's nickname is obvious. He also said that if either of them is away on a mission, when the clock strikes midnight they will be looking at the moon together.

Who would just randomly make a clock that had numbers everywhere but 8, 9 and 12 was beyond Zack, but he didn't see another one like it at the store since. All the rest had either all the numbers or all the pictures, or other designs but never this one. Made it all the more special.

The water was boiling on the stove and Scry was watching it like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He was a fluffy black cat with a single white ear. They had him ever since he was a kitten. One day Cloud came back and saw Zack playing with this tiny kitten who had boundless energy despite being rather thin and having a certain street cat look about him. They never found his owners, so he became part of the family.

'Whatcha looking at, cat?' asked Zack the creature, with an amused smirk. 'There is no meat or anything cool there, just water.'

Scry mewed and continued watching the water and the steam that was rising above it. Zack petted him and laughed. Silly cat.

'Here, have a little treat' Zack walked over to the plain-looking fridge in an equally boring looking kitchen. Neither of the guys spent much time here – preferring cooking something simple or just ordering out – so no one saw a need to decorate it.

There was a single magnet on the fridge however, some random cow chewing on Shinra's company logo. No one knew where it came from or why exactly.

Zack took out a handful of shrimps and put them on the counter in front of Scry. The cat purred the second he saw shrimps, and continued purring while crunching them down.

The water was really boiling now, so Zack had to attend to it fast. He opened five packets of ramen at once, since Cloud could easily wolf those down. That and he now had to cook for two. There was something nice about that simple fact, to be able to share your daily meals with someone you care about. Over time he picked up on favorite foods that Cloud has, and ramen and tea was one of them. Brussel sprouts was something Cloud despised, on the other hand.

Zack never tried them, and he didn't quite believe they were that bad, so one day he boiled a few of them and just put them on the table along with other food. Cloud's face when he saw them was priceless. After chuckling a bit, Zack casually stabbed a brussel sprout with a fork and popped it into his mouth. Wow, it really was very…very nasty. Cloud's hearty laugh was worth it though, so Zack tried a few more. Each managed to taste even worse than the one before, but Cloud was doubling over and could no longer stop the laughter so it was pretty awesome.

Since then he would eat brussel sprouts every once in a while when on long missions. Others commended him on being all healthy and even gave him more brussel sprouts since he ate so many and must have loved them. Each time they tasted horrible but the memories they caused warmed his heart.

All the packet opening and the fridge door slamming caused a rush of claws against the linoleum as Trevor left his usual spot under the big potted plant and made it a matter of life and death to get to the kitchen. Scry ignored the commotion and was busy giving Zack pleading eyes, taking short breaks every once in a while to dramatically sniff the place where shrimp used to be.

'You big goof,' laughed Zack. 'You just had your meal. You are acting like we never feed you or give you any attention. Whatsoever.'

He petted the dog as its tail wagged madly from side to side and its tongue hang from its smiling mouth. Trevor was a Siberian husky puppy that Cloud brought home. He showed up one day in the army barracks, no one knew from where. Naturally he couldn't stay there, since they had strict no pet policies. Zack took care of him for a while, since SOLDIER members had better accommodations. At first Trevor and Scry weren't on the best of terms, but now they got along like best buds.

'Alright alright, I'll give you a treat. Just don't go complaining to Cloud that I am making you fat. You hear me?' Zack looked the dog in the equally blue eyes and nodded, since it looked like Trevor understood.

He gave him a generous slice of turkey and gave Scry another helping of shrimps. Scry mewed happily and quickly began devouring them.

In a few minutes ramen was done, so Zack turned off the stove and got out the bowls and chopsticks. He also got out two Shinra issue trays, plates for the salad and sushi and some napkins. Before putting all the food together he went and got a green bird out of his cage – Manchu – since he was screaming to be let out for quite a few minutes now, but couldn't be out because of boiling water.

'Seriously, you are like a kid sometimes, Manchu. I wasn't going anywhere.' Manchu chirped from Zack's shoulder and chewed on a strand of his hair.

Zack shook his head and returned to assembling the meal as the animals watched. Soon everything was all set on the low small table next to the couch in the living room. Living room was much better decorated than the kitchen, with various interesting trinkets each man brought back from missions, a case of neatly stacked Materia that belonged to Cloud – Zack didn't bother to understand how it works –, a giant plant (named Green) that grew all the way to the ceiling and that Trevor liked to hang out under, since he thought he was a jungle dog or something.

Footsteps and Trevors excited barking alerted the SOLDIER that his husband was home.

'Welcome home, Chocobo!' Zack greeted Cloud with a smile and pulled him into a tight embrace and a kiss before he even had a chance to respond. Kiss lasted for a few minutes, and all through that time Manchu stayed on Zack's shoulder, trying to peck at both Cloud's and Zack's hair.

'It is good to be home,' Cloud finally got a chance to answer the greeting, with that quiet but actually incredibly happy smile of his. 'I was trying to get back earlier, with it being company holiday tomorrow, but they wouldn't budge. You even had time to make dinner. Is that…' Cloud sniffed the air 'ramen?'

'Aye, I picked some up on the way back home. I chose the kind we didn't try before, so I am not sure if it is good or not. I got sushi too, in case it is not edible,' Zack took Cloud's gun from him and set it on the rack by the door. Zack's Bustersword was there as well, together with smaller swords that actually were used in combat.

'I am sure it is great either way. I am starving' Cloud wasn't kidding, the guy was known to eat an entire pizza at once and still ask for more.

'Well eat your fill, Cloudy, we got plenty of food' Zack ruffled the guy's hair and went to turn the TV on, while Cloud changed out of the uniform and into casual clothes.

They ate mystery ramen together and watched the tv, sharing a few quiet moments together and tossing stories back and forth about such and such cadet who forgot to wear his second boot, or Kunsel and his need to get a life since otherwise he spends it texting everyone about a cockroach in the briefing room. Scry climbed on the back of the couch, while Trevor curled up next to their feet.

After the meal Zack brought out a nice ceramic teapot to the balcony and poured them a cup of hot tea to wind down the day with. City lights shimmered in the warm night air. Manchu stole some fruit and was happily eating on it, ignoring the free open air all around him. There was no other place he would rather be.

Cloud was looking out at the lights as he sipped his tea, and Zack smiled at the sight. Such simple moments of happiness are what life is made for.


	2. Just the Two

Scry jumped into Cloud's lap and poked his head above the edge of the table, trying to see if there was anything good left to steal on blonde's plate. Cloud spoiled the cat beyond belief and often he took extras just so Scry could steal them.

He smiled at the cat and ruffled the fur on his head. 'Sorry Scry, just cookies. Are you still hungry?'

The cat mewed and looked up in his eyes, flicking his tail slightly.

Zack smiled watching the exchange, it seemed like the two of them understood each other. Perhaps it was Cloud's quiet and calm nature that made any animal trust him on the first sight.

Scry crunched down happily on the treats that Cloud gave him from the bottle that was on the table, purring loudly as he did so. He sniffed Cloud's fingers to see if there were any more, licking off the tiny crumbs that were left.

Cloud chuckled from the touch and petted the cat, looking back up at Zack.

'You spoil him man,' laughed Zack. 'Not that it's a bad thing. The more we love someone the bigger is the temptation to give them all we have and to shield them from all their worries. No, temptation is a wrong word…duty, huh?'

Cloud nodded and smiled. 'In that case I am the most spoiled man of them all. If I try to worry about anything I always end up picturing your smile and how you would do about taking care of it.'

'And how would I go about it?' tossed a question in there Zack, knowing the answer but wanting to hear Cloud say it.

'You wont back down no matter what, and breeze through it acing it at the end, laughing about how it wasn't hard at all.'

Zack grinned and pointed at Cloud with his thumb up. 'You know it, cloudy. And you can always tell me if anything bothers you. I love hearing you talk. And I'll show those bothers the way out for you.'

Cloud blinked as light blush appeared on his cheeks and nodded with a smile. 'As can you, you know.' He picked up his cup, which caused Scry to try to go after it, but he quickly gave up on it as it rose up out of his reach. 'This is good tea'

'I know and I do haha. We picked it together, that's the only way its good. For me all of them look the same, I am more a soda drinker. It gives me energy, hot tea only calms me down,' the soldier grinned and tried tea in his cup too. 'But there is time for both, I guess.'

'I cant believe you once grabbed a bag of dried fish and was all happy because you thought those were some big tea leaves and that would mean awesome tea.' Cloud shook his head and chuckled at the memory.

'Haha, well how would I know, they weren't even labeled and one bag of tea leaves doesn't look all that different from the other. You are an expert man, and it was funny' Zack just grinned wider and wider.

'The look on that salesman face.' Cloud reminisced 'Fish tea…yuck' He laughed.

'Don't knock it till you try it.' Zack defended his choice of tea base. 'Though really it does sound awful. If you were expecting tea. If you were expecting fish stew it might be alright' he chuckled again. Manchu squawked on his shoulder, joining in the conversation.

'True that' Cloud smiled and finished his tea, glad it doesn't taste like fish. The night was getting chillier and it was time for a tactical retreat into the apartment. 'Should we head back?'

Zack nodded and glanced one more time over the view of the city below, those lights were always captivating, with their quiet glow warming the night. Their apartment was high up above it, so sounds from cars barely reached here. Near the horizon the green light of the mako reactor could be seen, and buildings of various heights were scattered throughout. It was different, living in the city, since both of them came from small towns where everyone knew everyone and buildings were at most three floors tall.

A bright moon dominated the night sky, illuminating the passing clouds and reflecting off the still water in the birdbath. Another, stronger gust of wind raced by their balcony, causing Zack to shiver from the sudden cold.

He gathered the dishes and followed after Scry and his husband back inside.

After putting the dishes away, Zack gave Cloud one more kiss. 'Since you had a long day, does a bath sound good?'

Cloud nodded. 'It sounds more than good. I am beat.'

Zack turned the faucet, which began to fill the big tub with water at just the right temperature. He then got out a bottle of bah bubbles and ran the water through the blue liquid in the cap, which quickly caused a whole lot of bubbles to appear. Their number only grew as tub got filled with more and more water.

It was an agreement with them that Zack had to do everything bath related, so Cloud simply stood there and watched the preparations. He yawned a couple times, a bit tired.

Zack turned off the faucet and stepped over to the blonde to help him get out of his clothes. He wasn't even allowed to take them off by himself. Cloud's cheeks turned redder again, cause for which was the look in Zack's eyes and a smile on his face that spelled out man's excitement that all of it was his.

Finally both of them were free from their clothes. Cloud's army uniform was folded next to Zack's casual clothes since he got home earlier.

Zack stepped into the bath and pulled Cloud in along with him. Since the air was a bit chilly without any clothes, they quickly sat down in the bath, letting the water and the bubbles surround them in their embrace.

'Mmmm…its so nice' hummed Cloud, as warmth of the water worked on relaxing his muscles. Zack helped it even further, massaging the muscles on Cloud's back and shoulders. This made Cloud smile even more, as blush on his cheeks deepened. The whole day he has been dreaming of this, anxiously glancing over at the watch, begging the time to hurry. It was listening but very reluctantly. He couldn't wait until it was just the two of them alone, in their small but perfect apartment, as close as they can be.

It was then Cloud's turn to give Zack a massage. The Soldier was way less tense than the blonde, he always was, so it didn't take as long to get his muscles relaxed.

Afterwards they washed each other's hair, which made their hairstyle lose the characteristic spikes. Every once in a while they would sneak in kisses and get lost in them for minutes. Both men wished this would never end, but eventually the water got cold and they had to slip into the robes and then under covers of their bed.

Cloud kissed Zack softly and smiled looking in his eyes. 'Good night, zacky'

'Good night, cloudy' said Zack and cuddled the blonde safe in his arms all through the night.


	3. Fall Colors

Zack must have dreamt about waking up at least a thousand times. Normally he would sleep to his heart's content, but today he was determined to wake up before Cloud. The blonde was notorious for always waking up before him, sometimes he even had breakfast, did the dishes and made Zack's breakfast before Zack even got himself out of bed. But not today. Today they were going out on a date and its up to First class to make it as special as could be.

Cloud was also very easy to wake up. For all he knows the guy is already awake just from Zack's stirring, and is just pretending to be asleep.

But that was not what Zack saw. Cloud was actually very much asleep, nuzzled into his husbands shoulder, breathing evenly. A slight hint of a smile played on his lips, a sight he wished was much less rare on this handsome face. Even when Cloud had all the reasons in the world to be happy, he would think of something somewhere to worry about and that will cement a serious expression on his face.

Zack smiled, thinking of the day they had ahead of them and happy because that light smile was definitely a sight he could sacrifice some sleep for. He grinned wider and pulled Cloud into a tight hug, which caused him to squeak-scream in surprise.

'AAH! Zack!' Cloud was quickly awake, but still a little out of it. 'What's your problem, man!?' He grumbled but that kind of didn't work because he was smiling at the same time. 'Can't you see I was sleeping?'

'Well you looked so cozy and adorable I just couldn't help myself. Good morning, Chocobo!' Zack chuckled as Cloud's face turned redder from the words.

'Good morning baby,' said Cloud with a smile and hugged Zack back. 'I will need to stop by the gas station… it's a long trip.'

As always, he was thinking the business end of things.

'Aye' Zack chuckled. 'More importantly, date! We are going on a date~' hummed the older man. 'Just you and me and nature. And no work or missions to get in our way, if only for just a weekend.'

Cloud nodded 'It's going to be fun'

'You bet it is!' grinned Zack. 'Oh and I can make us some breakfast. You do it enough.'

'Cereal?' that was the extent of Zack's cooking skills. Well he also made some awesome ramen, but that's not really breakfast.

'Nah its not the only thing I can make. Toast!' Zack grinned 'with dumbapple jelly and hot tea, just how you like it.'

'That sounds amazing' said Cloud, smiling lightly from how enthusiastically Zack considered this cooking. 'I'll see you there in a minute.'

Cloud didn't have many nice clothes, so it was easy to find the outfit to wear. A soft green scarf, one of Zack's old Second Class SOLDIER vests (Cloud was partial to vests and Zack's clothes always felt comfier than his own), and dark pants were what he chose. He picked up a golden materia, specifically designed by Shinra to spike the hair so strongly it would last even through swimming. It was a silly use of Planet's power, but it didn't seem to mind. Both he and Zack used the same one.

After putting in a tiny chocobo earring – courtesy of Zack – in his right ear, Cloud was all ready. He smiled at the reflection in the mirror, excited for the nice date day together with his husband. Light blush was already playing on his cheeks. He made Cloud so happy, it almost didn't seem real.

He left the bathroom only to be immediately glomped by Zack. Cloud screamed in surprise. 'Gah! Is today glomp Cloud day or something?'

'Everyday is a 'glomp Cloudy' day!' grinned Zack, all happy with himself, squeezing Cloud even tighter. 'I thought you knew, silly'.

Cloud chuckled and kissed Zack, to which the older man added even more passion. Zack smelled like summer, all warm and carefree. They kissed for a few minutes, after which Zack lifted Cloud up to his unserious protests and carried him all the way to the kitchen, where breakfast was all set up.

'Eat up, chocobo!' announced Zack. 'We've got a long day ahead of us.'

'You too, puppy,' smiled Cloud, taking his seat.

Zack got that nickname a long time ago, and although he was perfectly fine with it, there was always a hint of uneasiness in Cloud's tone when he used it. It was probably the first nickname he ever used to address anyone, he is always so proper and polite. So cute.

Zack munched on his toast, paying less attention to how it tasted and more to watching Cloud eat. He could see he was enjoying the toast and the tea, which made Zack the happiest person on the Planet. He didn't want anything less than to make Cloud happy, which sometimes was a struggle, the guy had a serious streak in him almost constantly. But it was easy when they were together, because then Cloud forgot things that bothered him and just focused on Zack and their time together.

'Its yummy' noted Cloud 'Thank you'.

'You are yummy' chuckled Zack, enjoying the blush that caused. 'Glad you like it, all made with love.'

'Mmm, I can tell' nodded Cloud, ignoring the fact that his ears were burning up. 'And the jam is good too.'

'I know, right?' Zack grinned even wider. 'Angeal got it for us from Banora. So it is like really fresh and the guy probably made it too. He grew up there, after all.'

'Ah, I know. Wouldn't put it past him.' Cloud finished all of his slices of toast, and Zack poured him a fresh cup of tea. 'So the place we are going to, you found it at one of your missions?'

Zack laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. 'If you can call it that, aye. Angeal told me there was a rare monster living there, and they needed more data on it for Shinra. I went there and spent a few whole days looking for it but found nothing. I came back to tell Angeal the news, but he was grinning the whole time I was talking. He is more serious than you, if that is possible ha, so I knew he was up to something. I asked him to spill it, and then he says 'Nice place, huh? Take Cloud there someday.' So he made me go on a non-existent mission rather than just telling me.'

Cloud smiled, 'He takes care of us.'

'Yes, yes he does.'

Fenrir was parked in the apartment complex structure, taking up two car spaces because it was too long to fit in just one. The motorcycle was meticulously polished, reflecting nearby lights in its chrome and black. Cloud spent whatever free time he had that wasn't occupied by work and chores taking care of it. Zack usually hanged out with him, chatting about their day and helping polish some of it.

Zack popped open the storage under the seat and put in the cooler with the snacks, sleeping bags, climbing equipment and a blue blanket. He wore a t-shirt with a puppy on it that Cloud got him as one of the birthday presents and his SOLDIER pants because he was too lazy to find any others.

'All set. Take us out, Cloudy,' said Zack and waited for the blonde to take the driver's seat. Cloud didn't do too well when he was sitting in the back, he liked knowing that motorcycle is going where he makes it go.

Cloud turned on the engine and smiled as Zack's strong arms wrapped around his waist. He had a smaller frame than Zack, which made the SOLDIER joke from time to time about how easy it would for him to fit in a dress. One day Cloud did take him up on that, and ever since then even mentioning the dress turned Zack's cheeks bright red.

_He is so kinky. I love it anyway. _Cloud drove relatively sane through the town until they got to the highway that led out into the wilderness. Fenrir's engine roared as it picked up more and more speed, and Zack yelped happily, clinging on tighter so not to fly off the back, loving the speed crazed nut that Cloud was.

They rode like that for a few hours. For the most part the scenery was bland, with scattered boulders here and there. Then the road took them through the mountains, where leaves on the trees were already changing colors. They were the only ones here, so Cloud slowed down a bit to get them a chance to observe the scenery better and to not fly off the mountain. Leaves that fell on the road crunched under Fenrir's tires, flying up in the gust of wind behind them.

Some got into Zack's hair, but he was too happy to notice. 'It's a bit of a hike from the top of this mountain, so we can just leave Fenrir at the side of a road.'

'Okay,' Cloud parked and got some of the stuff to carry. Zack took the rest and they trekked on through the mountain forest, watching the few lesser monsters scurry around, listening to the rustle of the leaves, and feeling each other's warmth as their fingers linked together.

'This is nice,' said Cloud. 'Living in a city you miss sights like these. Oh! Look! A forest chocobo!'

The little green creature squawked when it was mentioned. He was smaller than farm raised ones and his wings had more of a presence, though they weren't big enough for flight. Zack stopped and put down the cooler, getting a bread bun out of it. 'Give him some, he won't run away. They know their own kind when they see it, hahaha!'

Cloud shook his head, but smiled, taking the bun. The chocobo watched them from a distance and tried to escape when Cloud had to climb through the bushes to get to it. He stopped, kneeled, and broke off a piece of a bun, tossing it to the bird.

The chocobo chirped and approached it cautiously, then chomped on it, making it vanish in one bite. He looked up at Cloud, fluffing up his feathers and came closer, eying the bun. Zack watched in amusement. 'See? What did I tell you! He likes you already.'

Cloud nodded, bewildered, and fed the rest of the bun to the chocobo. As he ate, Cloud moved his hand to pet it and it actually let him. Zack climbed over the bushes too, which spooked the chocobo a little and it hid under first available cover which was Cloud's scarf.

'AWWWH! Oh my god! You are a chocobo whisperer Cloudy. Heheh.' Zack grinned and ruffled his husband's hair. 'Nothing to worry about, little birdy, I come in peace. Whats more, with food.'

When Zack held out the second bun chocobo got his bravery back and begged for some. They both fed the little creature until he was full. With a chomp it snapped the last bun out of Cloud's hands and ran for the bushes, probably to give the rest to its family.

Cloud was all smiles, he loved animals. Zack grinned too, this date was turning out better and better by the second. He helped Cloud up and kissed him gently. They resumed the trek up the mountain as different colored leaves fell all around them.


	4. Under the Stars

Zack trekked up the mountain and a rather fast pace. Cloud walked by his side, blushing lightly, reminded of their first meeting. It was also in the mountains, but it was winter. He was the only one out of the infantrymen that could keep the pace with him. Partially it was because he was used to the country life, but mostly because he wanted to get a chance to introduce himself. During his years in the army he didn't make a single friend, he was too reclusive and quiet to even try.

Zack noticed he didn't fall behind and stroke up the conversation, breaking that barrier Cloud made without any trouble. Within seconds they spoke as if they were old friends, just picking up the conversation where it left off. Cloud suddenly realized that Zack hadn't seen his face yet, since their helmets covered all but the mouth and chin. When Zack asked for his name, Cloud took the helmet off, smiling at his new friend. It was strange how happy he made him feel right from the start, and every day since has just been better and better. Cloud wouldn't trade this feeling for the world.

'What did you quiet up for, Cloudy?' asked Zack, smiling at him with slight concern. Cloud was known to brood and now was not the time to do that. No sir.

'Huh? Or nothing,' Cloud blushed harder. 'Just thinking of when we met…' blush just kept growing.

'AWWW! Why are you so adorable man!' Zack glomped him again, lifting him up slightly. 'I am so glad we did. Best thing that ever happened.'

'Mhmmm' Cloud nodded with a happy smile. 'I was watching you the whole helicopter ride, wasn't sure why. I was gathering up courage to come up and chat to you, then you know, we crashed. Maybe it gave the push I needed.'

'Wow Cloud, I don't bite, silly. I felt someone watching me, funny how it was you. Already had a crush huh?'

Cloud gasped 'I did, even though I didn't know what that was. You are mighty good looking, you know.'

'Hahah, thank you' Zack ruffled his hair. 'Your helmet was in the way, but when you talked you sounded so adorable. If you took any longer I would have pulled that helmet off myself. And when you did…godz Cloud…your smile and your eyes, you are a million times cuter than I imagined.'

Cloud kissed Zack, which caught him by surprise. Zack grinned and kissed him back, pulling Cloud into a tight hug.

'Mmmm~ never get tired of those,' said Zack and laced his fingers through Cloud's. 'Come on, we got to get there before dark. You'll love it.'

Cloud nodded and held onto his hand tighter as they walked on. Slight forest breeze carried with it the scent of rain, autumn leaves and dirt. Wild birds chirped in the canopy above, and from time to time a squirrel would scurry away into bushes or up trees.

They stopped for a snack under one of the bigger trees. Dried pine needles lined the ground, mingled with green grass. Zack spread out the blanket, setting the cooler within an arm's reach. He sat leaning against the tree and held Cloud in his embrace, breathing in the sweet scent of his husband. They cuddled like this for a while, taking slow sips of iced tea and eating sandwiches Cloud made this morning. Even though they had to still travel quite a distance, Cloud couldn't help but drift off to sleep once their stomachs were full, lulled by the steady beating of Zack's heart right next to his ear. Zack didn't protest, smiling gently at his sleepy chocobo before falling asleep as well.

Some time later Zack heard rustle of the leaves and some animal squawks and opened his eyes. With a nudge he woke up Cloud. 'Cloudy, your friend is back.'

Cloud looked around and saw the small green chocobo trying to figure out how the cooler opened. Hearing them move he squawked again, but stayed where he was. The food was obviously inside.

'Welcome back,' smiled Cloud. 'Got hungry?' He got the sandwich out and gave it to chocobo. The bird took a small bite cautiously, but soon happily chomped the rest of it down, making happy chirps in the process.

'Everyone loves your cooking, man,' joked Zack. 'Can't say I am surprised, you put so much effort and love into it that it shows. Anything else is just chum. You spoiled me too much, hahah.'

Cloud blushed again. 'Thank you, puppy. It's not that special. I just like cooking for others.'

'It is, don't sell yourself short man. Can't believe how lucky I am,' Zack kissed him gently.

'As am I' Cloud kissed him back.

They fed the chocobo some more, before packing things up and resuming their journey. The sun was closer to the horizon now, so they picked up the pace. The air got chillier, as wind battered the higher elevation.

Something sparkled in the ground. Cloud walked up to it and saw a small faint blue crystal. He picked it up to get a better look at it. It was light, but sturdy, with small cracks here and there.

'What do you have, Cloudy?' asked Zack. When Cloud showed him, he smiled. 'Cool isn't it? Wouldn't it be awesome if there were giant ones like this?'

Cloud nodded, but before he could do anything more, Zack grabbed him by the shoulders, turned him around and pointed ahead of them.

'Woah,' a sturdy grey mountain rock gave way to transparent material, very much like the one Cloud was holding. Giant crystals formed the walls and ceiling of a small cave, glowing soft reds because of the setting sun. Small patches of flowers grew at the entrance, way out of season.

'How did I not see this?' said Cloud, astonished.

'Haha I wonder. Lost in the clouds, huh. So cute' said Zack, grinning next to his ear. 'We are here'

Cloud blushed as he walked with Zack towards the cave, watching it in amazement. The light reflected in multitude of its cracks and danced inside the crystal, much like it did with their engagement rings. Zack was the one who proposed, even though Cloud saw it coming. It was hard to keep anything a secret from the inquisitive blond. Cloud already decided on his answer, he was searching all life for his soulmate, and once he found him in Zack there was only one thing to say.

Being a puppy, Zack couldn't wait until they were in some picturesque location to do it. Instead, pretty much out of the blue, still in Shinra building, Reno dragged Cloud away from his lunch and straight to Lazard's office. He refused explaining until they were there. Cloud kept trying to think of what did he do wrong. Then he saw Zack and the rest of the Turks, together with Angeal and Lazard. Lazard started giving him a stern lecture, but right in the middle of it music started playing, Zack got down on one knee and Turks held up the sign, asking if Cloud would marry him. With a shocked but happy expression on his face Cloud answered Zack with a yes, and then they kissed and all the Turks and Angeal and Lazard gave them a group hug. Naturally all of them came to their wedding, which made Cloud tear up a bit. He never knew so many people considered him their friend, as aloof and distant as he usually was. All of a sudden his world got a lot bigger and a whole lot brighter.

The inside of the crystal cave was spectacular. Rather than drab grays and blacks caves were usually known for it was filled with a dance of color. Light that filtered in through the crystals above was caught and reflected in the crystals inside that in turn illuminated the entire cave. Soft reds mixed with blues and greens, and split into a myriad of colors on the floor. Somewhere nearby a mountain stream could be heard.

Zack watched Cloud's reaction. An amazed smile played on his lips, and awe and happiness set his deep blue eyes aglow. Zack pulled him in a long kiss, and smiled into it as Cloud's arms wrapped around him.

'This is really beautiful. No wonder Angeal wanted us to see it,' said Cloud. None of them said more for a little while, just enjoying the sight around them and taking it all in. Gradually it got chillier, as sun set behind the horizon. The light from it stayed inside the cave for a while until it gave way to a softer glow of the crystals themselves.

As it got darker outside, the glow seemed to get stronger. Faint green streams in the walls were now more visible.

'Isn't that…raw mako energy?' asked Cloud, touching the crystal wall next to one of the streams. It felt warm to the touch.

'It is,' nodded Zack. 'This is what shaped this place to be as it is. No one is allowed to change it, not even Shinra. Of course, they would love to build a reactor here. Fortunately its location is too hard to build at.'

Cloud nodded. It was nice to know that this wouldn't change.

The light from the stars and the moon added to the cool glow of the crystal cave. Cloud snuggled up close to Zack in their sleeping bag, with his head resting on his shoulder as they watched the stars above through the crystal ceiling.

It is amazing how in all those worlds, all the possible lifetimes, they ended up on this one, and found eachother. And Zacks embrace felt so comfortable that Cloud couldn't help but shed some happy tears. Zack smiled at him with the same feeling, happy tears glistening in his blue eyes.

'I love you, Zack chan.'

'I love you too, my soulmate.'

They kissed and held each other tight under the stars, all through the night.


	5. Comforts

Sunlight filtered in through the crystal ceiling, slowly moving across the rocky floor until it reached Cloud's face and stopped right around his eyes. He stirred and moved out of the way, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light. It was warm under the covers and he wished he could go back to sleep, but it was far too bright for that. Yawning he rubbed his eyes and looked over at Zack who was still sleeping.

Even in his sleep he was smiling, holding tight onto the blonde he loves. Cloud blushed and watched him for a little bit, listening to the sounds around them and thinking about future and all things concerning Zack.

After a while the fact that even under the blankets rocks were sharp let itself be known more and more, which soon prompted Cloud to wake up Zack (it took a good solid 5 minutes, the guy was a heavy sleeper) but only for him to get huggled tighter rather than letting him escape the rocks.

'Zackk...rocks are not comfortable, let me out, please...please...I am not kidding Zack! Zack!' Cloud protested, trying to wriggle out of his grip.

'Fine, diva boy' giggled Zack. 'I thought all those army camping trips let you got used to sleeping weird places,' He let Cloud escape and stood up after him, wincing and rubbing a sore spot where the rock was trying to puncture his spleen. 'Oww...it does hurt. Like a lot...holy fuck!..ow!' Zack laughed and smirked from Cloud's expression. It was bemused and sleepy and cute. 'Lets like sleep on something softer next time.'

'No kidding,' huffed Cloud. 'I am not a diva' He started packing up their stuff after a few stretches.

'Of course you aren't, silly,' Zack ruffled his hair. 'Learn to take a joke man, not everything is serious. You've spent enough time with me to know that I am hardly ever serious...grumpy pants...' he coughed and smiled brightly at the Cloud.

Cloud smiled a little and tossed Zack stuff he had to carry.

'With that I can agree...I am pretty grumpy...but..not all the time...right?'

'Only when you arent a diva,' laughed Zack and trotted out of reach so Cloud wouldnt smack him.

...

'Hey do you think its warm enough to swim in?' Cloud was eyeing the mountain stream next to a small waterfall. It was pretty deep but the air around it was rather chilly.

'Might be...' Zack jumped in the water, rather than checking it first. His face contorted in a grimace. 'It...s...tolerable...yes!' He gave thumbs up to Cloud.

Cloud put his hand in it. After a few seconds he could barely feel it. 'Zack...its freezing, why are you still in it?!'

'C..c..cause..I wanted t..to ..s..wimmm' he was obviously shivering. 'Come on innn...Chocob..bo' Zack grinned.

'This is ridiculous,' Cloud shook his head but since Zack was stubborn there was only one thing to do. Shivering just from how cold Zack looked in the water, Cloud jumped in next to him, yelping from all the cold. 'AAAH! COLD!' He splashed around and tried to move as much as he could, but heat was draining away fast.

'T..that's..not...how...you swimmm, Clouddd...' Zack splashed around some more too. 'What d..do you think that technique is ...c..called? Spazz splash?'

'It's caaaled...cold...so much cold' Cloud whimpered and jumped. 'Something touched my leg..!'

'Oh its just...' Zack looked down at the clear water and saw some weird fish with teeth and spikes on its fins. 'Actually...lets RUN!' He moved out of the water as fast as he could, pulling Cloud along with him.

Zack examined the leg but there seemed to be no cut. 'I didnt trust the look of that thing, sorry..Cloud' He pulled the shivering man against him, pulling a big beach towel over them. 'But you were brave to get in the cold water with me' He kissed his head and petted him.

'Well..you looked cold, and it was my idea to check it,' Cloud snuggled closer, glancing at the water and the outline of a strange fish that was still in it. 'How does it live in it when its this cold?'

Zack shrugged, which Cloud could feel because they were sitting so close. 'Well, it looks so tough it might be scaring the cold away. That's the only way I can see.'

Cloud nuzzled into his arm. 'Heh...you might be right. You are crazy, Zack' he said softly.

Zack smiled from seeing how comfortable Cloud was with him. 'So are you, chocobo butt. Just means we are meant to be crazy together. And I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Cloud giggled and watched the world around them, safe in Zack's arms and warm under their towel. He wouldn't have it any other way either.


End file.
